Nanotechnology News – Latest Headlines

Scientists have made an important step towards a deeper understanding of metal-semiconductor interfaces. By means of a novel experimental approach the researchers investigated the distribution of the electronic charge at these interfaces on the atomic scale.

Researchers designed a molecule that would incorporate a number of desirable liquid crystal qualities, in particular the smectic E phase. Low ordered liquid crystal phases form droplets at their melting temperature, but the smectic E phase has the advantage of retaining the thin-film shape.

Scientists have made a discovery that could dramatically improve the efficiency of batteries and fuel cells. The research involves improving the transport of oxygen ions, a key component in converting chemical reactions into electricity.

Researchers have discovered that large area graphene is able to preserve electron spin over an extended period, and communicate it over greater distances than had previously been known. This has opened the door for the development of spintronics, with an aim to manufacturing faster and more energy-efficient memory and processors in computers.

The aim of this research is to find the optimum conditions for the growth of GaN nanowires. This means obtaining nanostructures with the best characteristics for developing applications. For instance, the position control of these structures on diamond is strongly desired for quantum computation.

Our world is full of patterns, from the twist of a DNA molecule to the spiral of the Milky Way. New research has revealed that tiny, synthetic gold nanoparticles exhibit some of nature's most intricate patterns.

New understanding of the nature of electromagnetism could lead to antennas small enough to fit on computer chips - the 'last frontier' of semiconductor design - and could help identify the points where theories of classical electromagnetism and quantum mechanics overlap.

Researchers managed to create artificial viruses, protein complexes with the ability of self-assembling and forming nanoparticles which are capable of surrounding DNA fragments, penetrating the cells and reaching the nucleus in a very efficient manner, where they then release the therapeutic DNA fragments. The achievement represents an alternative with no biological risk to the use of viruses in gene therapy.